Stars and Stripes
by Doc4
Summary: Buffy's run in with the Master brings her great-grandfather to Sunnydale.


It's a me! RUN!!

I kid, I kid.Okay, a lot of you have noticed my main stories have kinda...frozen. Writer's Block has hit them hard, and i will continue them as soon as possible. In the mean time, i'm going to throw up a couple of things I've had come up that I think people may like. Here is number one.

I own nothing. you should no this by now. Buffy and related belong to Joss and co. Marvel charries belong to Marvel. Enjoy.

_Sunnydale, California_

_1996_

This is not a perfect world. The good guys don't always win, the bad guys don't always die, and sometimes, just sometimes, a hero can be found lying in a hospital bed dying of blood loss. Such is the case of one Buffy Anne Summers. The Vampire Slayer. Facing a vampire far stronger than herself and suffering the consequences. Now she lays, unconscious, low on blood as the Master tears a bloody streak through Sunnydale. Hope seems lost.

The futuristic jet landed on the helipad atop Sunnydale Memorial hospital. As the ramp dropped a figure could be seen, standing straight and tall. When Gail and Bucky had told him that he had a great-granddaughter, he could scarcely believe it. When he was told that said great-granddaughter had undergone an animal attack, he demanded time off. Fury had relented after checking to validate the relationship.

Steve Rogers, known to the world at large as Captain America, had seen injuries like that before, back in World War 2, before his run in with Herr Kleiser. Baron Blood, the creature had been called. Captain America, with aid from English mutant superhero/PR poster boy, Union Jack, had destroyed him, spreading his ashes across a field in Britain. Steve had hoped never to see such creatures again.

It seemed that hope would be unfounded. His great-granddaughter had been bitten, and Steve swore the creature that did it would pay for it.

Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow, an agent of SHIELD and Steve's girlfriend, stepped out behind him. "Are you sure we should be here?" She asked in a thick Russian accent. "You're supposed to be a National secret."

"They're family, Natasha" Steve said. "If I can't help family, what's the use of being Captain America?"

"Helping others that need it," a valid point, but these were the only blood relations he had left, product of the first and last night he spent with Gail, before the mission that left him frozen under the Arctic ice.

"This is just something I need to do," Steve said. "You didn't have to come."

"And miss meeting your family, Steve darling?" Natasha said with a sultry smile. "Never. Are you sure arriving like this…?" Steve looked down at his Army uniform and Natasha's leather cat-suit.

"We were on a mission for SHIELD rounding up the last of the aliens that attack Earth last month," Steve said smoothely. "When I heard, I came running. I'm just a regular soldier. Joyce knows the truth and so will Elizabeth once she wakes up."

"You seem pretty sure about that," Natasha said. Steve took a breath.

"According to the blood tests, there's an unknown chemical," he said slowly. Natash looked at him sharply.

"The serum?" She asked, referring to the super soldier serum that had turned Steven Rogers in Captain America. Steve nodded.

"Betty Ross thinks so," he said. "Regular blood won't help her."

"Her mother…"

"Hasn't got a high enough count of the serum," Steve said, scratching his clean shaven face as he entered the hospital. "It's odd. Elizabeth's serum count is higher than her mothers. Her father has no connection to the program. It's almost like someone injected her with it at some point during her life, but it…inactive."

"Inactive? Is that even possible?" Steve shrugged as the climbed down the stairs.

"I don't know, Natasha. All I know is I may be the only person that can help her. I'm not going to let her die."

_Two days later_

"Glfrmphgn…" okay, not the most vocal way for the hero of the story to introduce herself, but she has been unconscious from blood loss for weeks.

"How do you feel?" A strong voice asks.

"Like a squeezed orange," Buffy answered. "Who're you?"

"Steven Rogers," the man answers. "I'm…a relative. On your mothers side."

"Cool. What are you doing here?"

"You need a blood transfusion."

"Why didn't mom…? I'm not adopted am I?"

"No," Steven Rogers said. "You had a…inconsistency in your blood. It misses a generation or too."

"Yeah, and a dollar gets me a cup of coffee," Steven blinked. "Sorry, but I know a cover story when I hear one. I have to use them every so often. Um…"

"You do?" Steve asked. "Does this have something to do with your…'animal attack'?"

"You…hey, no fair deflecting my questions!" Buffy pouted. Steve smiled.

"Alright, alright, I suppose I was going to tell you anyway," he picked up a round bag and opened it, revealing a shield with red and white circles. In the centre was a black shield and in the centre of that was a star.

"Hey isn't that… Wait that means… Holy crap! You're…I'm related to…my head hurts," Buffy said finally, laying back. "I'm related to Captain America. How cool is that?"

"I'm glad you think so," Steve said, closing the bag again.

"So…I'm guessing the 'inconsistency' is whatever made you what you are," Steve nodded. "But you don't know why, so you made up the cover story," Steve nodded again.

"You know my story," Steve said. "What's yours?" Buffy hesitated.

"I'm guessing you know about vampires?" Steve nodded. "Well, I'm the one girl in the entire world that has to fight them."

"The Slayer?" Union Jack had referred to the Vampire Slayer during the battle with Baron Blood. Something about her being busy with a demon raising in Germany. Or was it Russia?

"Yup. That's me…Oh no. The Master!"

"He's…retired."

_One day ago_

The Master smiled at the destruction before him. With the Slayer gone, it was all too easy to reduce this pathetic town to rubble. He had enjoyed Wilkins' scream as he had dismembered him slowly. This had been well worth the wait.

"I presume you're 'The Master'?" The ancient vampire turned to face a man in red, white and blue chain, with a mask on his face and a round shield in his hand.

"And you are?" The costumed fool said nothing, throwing the shield like a discus., the master stood firm as it whisked past his neck. "You missed."

"Actually," Captain America said as the shield rebounded off the wall and took the vampires head off. The Master gave a surprised look as his head toppled off, his flesh turning to dust until only his bones remained. "I didn't."

_Now_

"That's cheating," Buffy accused. Then she smiled. "Teach me how to do that."

"I think that might be possible," Steve said.

Hope was reborn, along with a dream long forgotten in the reality of death and destiny.


End file.
